Forgotten Waters: Remembering and Reimagining Water in Los Angeles

The history of Los Angeles is defined by the need to tame the flow of water and nothing epitomizes this more than the Los Angeles Aqueduct and Los Angeles River. Completed in 1913, the aqueduct is both an incredible feat of engineering and an artifact of theft, corruption, and exploitation. To this day, it conveys a third of LA’s water from over 200 miles away, ecologically draining Owens Valley in the process. Meanwhile, the perception of the Los Angeles River as a concrete eyesore conceals the many layers of ecological and cultural significance it contains. This thesis explores both the history and potential future of water in Los Angeles.